Song of Solomon 6

1 [DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM] Whither hath thy beloved, gone, thou most beautiful among women? whither hath thy beloved turned him aside? That we may seek him with thee.

Where is your loved one gone, O most fair among women? Where is your loved one turned away, that we may go looking for him with you?

2 [SHE] My beloved, is gone down to his garden, to the beds of balsam, —to pasture in the gardens, and to gather lilies,

My loved one is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to take food in the gardens, and to get lilies.

3 I, am, my beloved’s, and, my beloved, is mine, he that pastureth among lilies.

I am for my loved one, and my loved one is for me; he takes food among the lilies.

4 [HE] Beautiful, art thou, my fair one, as Tirzah, comely, as Jerusalem, —majestic as bannered hosts!

You are beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, as fair as Jerusalem; you are to be feared like an army with flags.

5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for, they, have excited me, —Thy hair, is like a flock of goats, that are reclining on the sides of Mount Gilead:

Let your eyes be turned away from me; see, they have overcome me; your hair is as a flock of goats which take their rest on the side of Gilead.

6 Thy teeth, are like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing-place, —whereof, all of them, are twin-bearers, and bereaved, is there none among them:

Your teeth are like a flock of sheep which come up from the washing; every one has two lambs, and there is not one without young.

7 Like a slice of pomegranate, are thy temples, from behind thy veil:

Like pomegranate fruit are the sides of your head under your veil.

8 Threescore, are the queens, and, fourscore, are the concubines, —and, virgins, there are, without number.

There are sixty queens, and eighty servant-wives, and young girls without number.

9 One alone, is my dove, my perfect one, one alone, was she to her mother, Pure, was she to her that bare her, —The daughters, have seen her, and pronounced her happy, Queens and concubines, and they have praised her.

My dove, my very beautiful one, is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the dearest one of her who gave her birth. The daughters saw her, and gave her a blessing; yes, the queens and the servant-wives, and they gave her praises.

10 [THEY] Who is this, that looketh forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, majestic as bannered hosts?

Who is she, looking down as the morning light, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, who is to be feared like an army with flags?

11 [HE] To the garden of nuts, I went down, to look at the fresh shoots of the ravine, —to see whether: had burst forth the vine, had blossomed the pomegranate: —

I went down into the garden of nuts to see the green plants of the valley, and to see if the vine was in bud, and the pomegranate-trees were in flower.

12 I know not [how it was], my soul, set for me the chariots of my willing people!

Before I was conscious of it, ...

13 [THEY] Return, return, O Shulamite, Return, return, that we may look on thee! [SHE] What would ye look on in the Shulamite? [THEY] As it were the dance of a double camp…

Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back, come back, so that our eyes may see you. What will you see in the Shulammite? A sword-dance.